Stroke the Flames
by Escape Through Dreams
Summary: Fire Lieutenant James "Bucky" Barnes is used to running into flames, saving lives and putting out fires. But now, he finds himself running in the opposite direction of the fires, while trying to save a woman seems to show up in the most inopportune moments. *Updates will be every Wednesday-Thursday*
1. Chapter 1

"God, over time is a killer."

James Barnes has spent the last three days staying at the fire station on call, having dealt with more than six fires in those last 72 hours. And as much as he loves his brothers and being a fire fighter, it will be so good to finally shower without five other guys in the room with him. He will finally be able to sleep in his own bed, and not have a hand full of people in beds surrounding him. Maybe he will actually get more than a few hours sleep without getting woken up by someone snoring or the blaring fire alarms.

Once home, James by-passes the kitchen and heads straight to the bathroom. He is just ready for a hot shower and then bed.

Stepping under the hot water, James lets out a long groan as the hot water hits his skin. Instantly, the tension leaves his body and his muscles relax for the first time in days. All the strain and stress from the last few days has really done a number on his body, and his mind.

Six fires in 3 days and only a handful of minor injuries. They have all been written off as just accidents, but James is sure that they are more than that. Six near identical fires do not randomly start so close to the fire department. Something, or someone, has to be starting them, wanting the attention or possible something else. But with everything, James hasn't had the chance to really think and analyze the scenes to make his case for a proper, further investigation.

But now, James has a few days off, and once he gets a decent amount of sleep, he is going to use this time to review what information they have, find the connection and force the Chief to listen to him. They need to have a proper investigation going and catch whoever is starting the fires before someone gets really hurt, or worse, killed.

First though, he needs sleep, or else he is bound to miss something.

James steps out of the shower, dries himself before slipping on a pair of boxers and falls face first onto the bed. The moment his head hits the pillow James is out like a light.

It feels like no time has passed before there are alarms blaring and jerking James awake. He wakes up so fast that for a moment he is disoriented and confused about where he is, and believes himself back at the station. Then he realizes that he is in fact at home, and those alarms going off are the in fact the fire alarms in his apartment building.

The fire fighter in him is quick to come out and he jumps into action. He doesn't think twice about rushing out of his apartment and trying to get as many people out as possible.

"Get out! Get out now! Use fire the escape or stair, do try to save anything, just get out now!"

He bangs on any door he can get to, moving down each floor. It's times like this that James is happy he choose to live in a small apartment complex. Fewer floors with three to four apartments on each floor means less people to get out alive.

Smoke is getting thicker, making his eyes burn, he can feel the smoke filling his lungs, hindering his breathing. He really wishes he thought to grab a rag or something to cover his nose and mouth. But too late now, he has already made it to the ground floor, not going to back track three levels just for a face mask. He just needs to get out, and his men should be arriving soon. They will be able to give him oxygen.

James runs towards the exit when he hears a muffled call for help. And despite feeling the beginning effects of smoke inhalation, the firefighter in him just will not let him leave without helping.

* * *

Tatiana groans, turning over onto her stomach and burying her head into her pillow. An annoying beeping sound tries to draw her from her sleep, but the desire to remain in the dream world is much stronger. Unfortunately for her though, the sound just keeps getting louder and she is unable to stay asleep. A nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach warns her to take heed of the sound and forces her to wake up.

Slowly, she sits up in her bed and a coughing fit hits her as she struggles to breathe. Blinking rapidly, she is able to clear her eyes enough to see the smoke filling her room. She can feel the temperature of the room rise.

"Fuck." She hisses, using her shirt to cover her mouth and block out as much smoke as she can.

Jumping out of the bed, she rushes to her bedroom window to open, only to remember that the window was stuck.

"God damn it! Why didn't I get this fixed when it first broke?!"

Giving up on the window, Tatiana rushes to the front door, hoping to get out that way. The second her fingers graze the door knob, she jerks back with a curse. With a touch to the door, tells Tatiana that the fire is basically right outside her door.

"Well shit. Why do I have to sleep through everything?"

She looks around, trying to figure out what her next move is. Although it's unlikely, all she can do it call for help.

"Help! Someone help me please!"

She bangs on the door, making as much noise as she can over the fire alarms. It is probably the second dumbest thing she has done, yelling at the top of her lungs, since she is just inhaling more smoke. But she has to do something, or else, well that is not really a thought she wants to have.

"Somebody, anybody, please… please help."

Her cries grow weaker, her body beginning to succumb to the smoke. She does not know how long the fire has been going, or how long she has been calling for help, but she can't keep it up. Sliding down the, she pulls her knees to her chest,

"Please… I need help." She whispers, with her eyes growing heavy.

"Hey! Where are you?!" a rough male voice calls out to her, "Come on, don't stop on me now. Let me hear that voice again!"

Tatiana's eyes pop open, surprised there is anyone left, "Yes! I'm here! I'm here! The door is too hot for me, and the windows are stuck!"

"Alright," it sounds like he is right in front of her door, "I'm going to have to bust the door down. I need to stand back."

Scrambling, Tatiana stands and moves out of the way. Waiting with baited breath as the man on the other side attempts to get in. She hears the thumps, and the door creeks under the pressure, but doesn't give. It's no use; there is no way she is going to get out of here. There is a limited amount of time before the fire engulfs the building and sends it crashing down around them. And if that doesn't get them first, their lungs collapsing from the smoke will. He is already out, so close to leaving, he should not be here wasting what time he has to try and save her just because she was dumb enough to sleep through a fire alarm.

"Just go and get out of here!" she yells, "You need to get out before it's too late!"

On the other side, the man growls, frustrated that the door hasn't crumbled yet, also for the fact that the woman has already given up. Well there is no way that he is giving up on her.

"No, I'm not walking out until I know you are safe!"

She stares at the door, just waiting to see what he is going to do next. What she does not expect to happen is for a large, half naked man to come busting through her door, splintering it completely.

She gives a scream in alarm covering her eyes, "You're in your underwear!"

He rolls his eyes at her reaction, "Yeah and you have skimpy pajamas on, but you don't see me getting fluster! Now come on, we need to get out now!"

He doesn't wait for her to move, he grabs her around the waist and carries her out of the room and rushes for the exit.

"Lieutenant Barnes! What the fuck are you doing in here?!"

"Barton! Here, you need to get her out, I gotta check and,"

The man she now knows as "Barnes" hands her over to the man call "Barton" and tries to move past him.

"Woah, no, sorry Barnes, but that ain't happenin', you're getting out now! Maximoff come get the girl, I'm getting Barnes!"

Once more Tatiana is tossed to someone else, just like she is a sack of sugar. But at this point she has put up as much fight as she can. Her eyes droop shut and her world fades to black.

James stands there watching the woman he just saves pass out in Pietro's arms, "Hurry! Get her to medics!"

Pietro, known for his speed, runs as fast as he can and James sags in relief. What adrenaline he has been running off of has stated to fade and now he is truly feeling the beating his body has been through. Everything hurts both inside and out, it hurts. It is probably going to take more than just oxygen to help him recover.

"Look, Barnes, we gotta get you out of here the building isn't going to stand much longer!"

Bucky's eyes widen, no, he can't lose them.

"Barton, you need to get to my apartment, 4th floor apartment C. I need you to get my bag, please, you have to get it!"

"Alright, I will, just leave please!"

Two other men come over and grab James, carrying him outside and to the ambulance where the woman he saved was already getting strapped in.

His feet stumble, legs giving out, and James finally succumbs to exhaustion.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for missing a week. My computer decided it hated me and I lost a large chunk of the chapter and had to re-write it. But its here now! Enjoy!

* * *

Tatiana jerks awake in a panic, not knowing where she is. The beeping in the room tricks her mind into thinking she is still trapped in her apartment with the fire raging outside. She scrambles out of the bed, no noticing the wires and IV that are attached to her and she is ripping off, or out, in her panic.

Suddenly two hands grab her by the arms,

"Ana! Stop it! You are going to hurt yourself more, please stop it."

The melodious, accented voice of her brother Loki, brings Tatiana out of her daze; "L-Loki? What are you… how did you get in here? The, the fire?"

He pulls her into his arms, smoothing down her hair, "Shh, it's okay Ana, you are fine. You are out of the fire." He speaks softly, just like he used to when she was little and would have a nightmare

Loki pulls back and puts Tatiana back in the bed, "Here, lay down, let me fix your IV and the monitors. That'll make the alarms stop going off."

At that moment, two nurses rush in to the room, "Dr. Odinson? Is everything okay?"

He nods, "Yes Sheila, it is okay now. My sister just woke up scared. Will you help me get her fixed back up?"

"Of course," Sheila replies, "and Kelly, will you go get Dr. Karnes? Let her know that Tatiana Connors woke up…"

Their words become muffled as her vision blurs, and once again her world turns black.

Loki lets out a sigh, seeing his sister falling back to sleep, brushing the hair from her face, "Crazy girl, I can't let you out of my sight for a moment can I? Nurse Sheila?"

"Yes Dr. Odinson?"

"Would you be able to sit here with my sister? I do not want to leave her alone if she wakes up in a panic again. Our oaf of a brother is planning on coming, but I'm not sure when he will get here.

"Of course Dr. Odinson, it is no trouble at all. Would you like for me to page you when she wakes up again?"

"Yes please, I don't know how long she will be out this time. But I will be back after I end my shift."

"Okay, I'll be here with her and I'll let you know of any change."

Loki smiles at the older woman, "Thank you, Sheila; I know I am leaving my sister in good hands."

The next time Loki enters the hospital room, he finds Tatiana sitting up and alert, much more aware of her surroundings than she was before.

"Hello darling baby Sister."

"Good evening big brother. Shouldn't you be heading home?"

"Like I would leave by baby sister alone in the big bad hospital where all the doctor monsters could get her." He teases with a smirk.

Tatiana rolls her eyes, "Alright Jerk. I was 7 and it was the first time I ever had to stay overnight. Plus, you are the one who told me all the stories of how doctors try to steal organs from anyone staying in the hospital and how they experiment on kids."

"I was such a mean child." Loki laughs making Tatiana shakes her head.

Someone off to the side clears their throat, catching Tatiana and Loki's attention, "Glad you could join us Dr. Odinson. Sheila said that you wanted to be here when I talk to Ms. Connors. What, Dr. Odinson, do you not trust me to give your sister the best care?"

Loki chuckles, "Not at all Dr. Karnes, I know you are one of the best we have at the hospital. It's just that my sister is going to be staying with me after she gets out,"

"I will?"

"And I while I know how I would treat her, I want to know what you would recommend for her to get back to full health. I trust what you would have to say."

Dr. Karnes ducks her head, a light blush covering her cheeks at Loki's praise. Tatiana rolls her eyes,

"Silver tongue," she grumbles, "But why am I staying with you? Why can't I go home?"

"Ana, your apartment is ruined from the fire. Insurance is going to pay for damages and losses. But the safety inspector has to go through and determine when or if it would be safe for anyone to move back in. And then there are the repairs, you basically have nowhere to live right now." Loki explains, giving his sister an apologetic look.

She deflates, falling into the pillows with a pout. She had worked so hard to be able to afford her own place, and now she is back to square one, living with her brother. And as much as she loves him, living with Loki is a pain in the ass. They just have very different habits and living styles.

"And if I may," Dr. Karnes steps in, "I would not have allowed you to leave unless I knew you had someone to stay with you. Your lungs took a bit of a beating, but thankfully you were not exposed for too long from what I could tell and …"

Tatiana starts to turn them out; she knows that Loki will be repeating everything to her later anyway. Her mind is too preoccupied with the fact that for the time being, she is homeless and has to live with her brother, most of her stuff has either been damaged or lost in the fire, and due to her current condition she cannot go to is, as the saying goes, up shit creek without a paddle, and depending on the outcome of the safety inspection, the boat might be sinking.

How in the world is she supposed to come back from this? The insurance will only pay for so much, and she can only go so long without working. Everything is going to just fall apart right in front of her and there is nothing that she is going to be able to do about it.

"ANA!" Loki shouts, shaking her, "stop, you have to calm down. You are going into a panic and your body can't handle the stress. Listen to me, everything will be okay, it will all work out."

"HOW?! I have no home, I'm not going to be able to work, I'm going to lose the loan for the flower shop, I'm going to lose the building for not being able to make rent. I'm basically homeless right now, I have nothing but the clothes on my back…"

"But you are alive." he interrupts her rant, "you are alive and for the most part, well. Everything else will get better, but not if you just focus on the negatives."

Doctor Karnes slips out of the room to give the siblings a moment alone and to go check on her other patients.

Tatiana blinks, "Did, did someone die? Oh God! That man! The one who got me out, did something happen to him? I told him to just leave and he wouldn't! It's my fault he got hurt or worse! Oh God Loki!"

Loki pulls his sister into his arms, stroking her hair and tries to calm her down, "I don't know what happened to the man who got him out, I do know that he is alive, but since I'm not family or his doctor so I'm not privy to that information."

Tatiana glances up at him, "But there was someone to die, wasn't there?"

Loki nods, "Yes, sadly; a woman, and they discovered that the fire started in her apartment. She was on the floor above you, and that is why your apartment saw more damage, it was right under the point of origin."

Listening to how calmly Loki is talking and explaining helps bring Tatiana's anxiety level down slightly, but she is still very much worked up.

"Did she start the fire on purpose?"

"I do not know. I'm sure we will find out more soon, if not from the news, I know Thor will have answers."

"Yeah maybe…" she falls silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Loki, what am I going to do about the shop? There is no way I can just not go in."

"Ana, you are the boss, you own the place…"

"Exactly Loki! I'm the boss, I have to be there!"

He sighs, ignoring your interruption, "but you have also just been in a fire and need to heal. You have hired great people to work there. I know that they will be able to handle the store for a few days until you can go back. I know how important the store is to you, I will go over if I need to and check up, so will Hela and even mom if you really need it. I would say Dad and Thor but, well, they are like a bulls in a china shop and wouldn't be of any help there."

That gets a laugh out of Tatiana only for it to turn into a coughing fit.

"Okay so, no laughing for a little bit. But honestly Ana, I promise you, everything will be fine. I just want you to focus on healing before worrying about anything else."

She sighs, knowing that there is no point in arguing with Loki, "Fine."

"Good. Now, I want you to rest. I'm going to head home, fix up my spare room for you and then I'll be back later with some clothes for you. Anything specific you want me to bring you?"

She thinks and shakes her head, "No. I'm sure you'll think of everything. You always do. Oh, but one thing before you leave."

"What?"

"That man, the one who got me out...?"

Loki cocks his head to the side, "Yeah, what about him?"

"What is his name? I want to thank him somehow."

"I believe I heard that his name is James Barnes. Sleep, I'll be back later."

"So, when do I get to get out of here and get back to work?" James impatiently asks the doctor.

"Mr. Barnes, you were in the fire longer than anyone else, your lungs took some damage. It would be ill-advised for you to go back to work too soon. I would also like to keep you here to observation to make sure that your injuries are not worse than they appear." Dr. Karnes replies.

James groans, falling back against the pillows in a dramatic fashion and throwing his arm over his face, careful of the IV.

"Great, just great."

"I'm sorry Mr. Barnes. But that is just the way it has to be. If you'd rather, I could find a doctor who doesn't care for your well being and will let you leave without a second thought."

James lets out a snort laugh, "Nah, that's okay Doc. I'd rather you give a shit. I just hate being cooped up with nothing to do."

This time the Dr. Karnes laughs at him, "That, I can perfectly understand. Maybe you'll luck out and find something to occupy your time. But for now Mr. Barnes, I want you to rest and I'll be back later to check up on you."

"Thanks Doc. Oh hey, I was wondering and about that woman who was stuck in her apartment, how is she doing?"

"Now, , you know I can't give you any information about any other patients." she scolds.

"No, I know, I just want to know if she is okay."

She gives him a small smile, "Yes, she is okay. You got her out in time. She is actually just down the hall from you if you need to see for yourself that she is doing well."

"Thanks Doc."

Dr. Karnes nods and leaves James to rest. He only closes his eyes for what feels like five minutes before the door is being busted open with Fire Assistant Chief Maria Hill comes barging into the room with Clint Barton and James friend Police Captain Steve Rogers following close behind her.

"Barnes! What the hell were these doing in your apartment?!" Maria barks, tossing a stack of folders onto the bed.

James glances at the contents that fell out of the folders to find all of the evidence collected from all six fires. He glances over at Clint,

"Tsk, I asked you to get my bag, not give the contents to the Chief."

Clint shrugs, "She saw I had it and wanted to know why it was so important."

"Damn it Barnes! Answer the damn question, why did you have these? These are all closed cases, deemed accidents. Why would you have photos and reports in your apartment?"

James eyes Maria closely, noting how she masks all emotions on her face, but also tries to give a relaxed and non-threatening stance. He has worked with Maria long enough to know exactly what that means.

"You think I had this stuff because I was getting off on the destruction? For fuck safe Maria, we have worked together for nearly a decade! Do you really believe for a second I'd be some sick fuck like that?!"

Maria's body deflates slightly, "No, but it doesn't explain why have this stuff unless for some sick twisted pleasure. I'm sorry Barnes, but I have to suspend you."

"WHAT?! Why?!"

"Because I'm not the only one to learn of the files, or the fact that you were the first responder at all fires. It makes it appear that you are trying to cover your tracks and learning from each fire to evolving."

James pinches the bridge of his nose, irritated with this conversation already. He'd been a firefighter since he was 18, volunteer since he was 16, and never once has he ever been tempted to the dark side and set fires just to play the hero or have some sexual gratification from setting fires. And it really pisses him off that here he is now, getting accused of just that. As well as getting suspended for doing his fucking job.

"I took the files home because them being labeled as accidents just didn't sit right with me, Maria. It was too much of a coincidence that 6 fires break out under similar conditions so close to the fire department. They were not just an accident, they were set."

Steve is the one to speak up this time, "So you think there is a serial arsonist going around?"

James nods, "And worse, I think it might be someone in the fire department."

"Bullshit!" Maria hisses, "you just ripped into me for accusing you and now you are accusing someone else without proof!"

"Well how else do you explain the fact that within three days, there were six fires that took place close enough to ensure that we would get there in time to save all individuals in that location, and then the night I go home, and I have evidence with me from those six fires for a review, my apartment building goes up in flames. My apartment which is a good 30 minutes from the station. Something with that has to be fishy to you Maria."

"He's got a point Chief." Clint points out with a smug look on his face, enjoying seeing his Lieutenant and Assistant Chief having a pissing match. Makes him happy he never applied for a promotion.

Rubbing her temples, Maria sighs, "Okay, I'm not saying I believe you, but IF there is someone in the station starting fires, why stay so close to the station to begin with? And why go out of their comfort zone to target you?"

"Because they must think that there is something in the files that will give away their identity." Steve rationalizes.

The blond male steps up to James' bed and starts looking over some of the files.

"Steve, do you think you could look into this?"

Steve shakes his head with a shrug, "These are considered to be closed cases since they were ruled an accident. And since no one has died,"

"But someone did die." Clint interrupts.

"What?" the three exclaim at the same time, heads snapping to Clint.

Barton steps closer,

"It was in my report I submitted to Chief Pierce, I guess you haven't seen it yet. There was one fatality last night. A woman in the apartment below Barnes'. It hasn't been reported on yet, but deemed accidental as well, but that's mainly because her body was so badly burnt in the fire, there is no way to tell if she died any other way."

"Hmm," Steve hums, "I might be able to use that, open an investigation for this one fire and then try and connect it to the others. I can't promise anything, but I'll do what I can."

"Thanks Stevie." James says with a small smile in the direction of his best friend.

Steve just nods, collecting the files to take with him. The room goes quiet as they all begin to think about what it will mean if there is a serial arsonist on the loose. Even worse, what it will mean for them if it is a member of the fire station who is the one setting the fires.

"Barnes, despite this, you are still suspended for the time being. Especially since there has been a casualty. It doesn't look too good for you right now."

"Yes Chief." James growls through gritted teeth, knowing that she is right, not at all happy with the decision.

A soft knock comes to the door and opens just enough for a woman to poke her head through,

"Excuse me, is this a bad time? I'm looking for James Barnes."

James perks up, sitting straight up in the bed and grinning at the woman at the door, "Hey, it's you."

Tatiana steps into the room fully, shyly looking around at the four people staring her down, only one of which seems mildly okay with her being in the room. One female and two males. One male is dressed in a police uniform with the name "Rogers" and the other two and in a firefighters uniform the woman with the name "Hill" and the man with the name "Barton." Tatiana gives them a small smile and a wave, hoping to ease the obvious tension in the room. She isn't sure if its because of her or if she picked the wrong time to sneak over here.

"I um, I can come back later…"

"No," James stops her, "No, its okay. Stay. They were just leaving."

The three individuals standing between her and James shoot him a look, but he only narrows his eyes and nods to the door, silently telling them to leave.

The taller of the two men, pats James on the shoulder, "I'll see you later pal… Ma'am." he nods towards Tatiana before leaving.

"Ma'am," the one with Barton addresses her on his way out, while Hill just gives her a once over and leaves.

"Sorry about them. They are still in "work" mode; actually, I'm not sure Hill is every off "work" mood. Oh, come sit down. You probably shouldn't be up walking around should ya?"

Tatiana shakes her head, "Probably not, but I didn't think I'd have a chance to come talk to you once my brother gets back." she sits down in the chair by his bed, "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me. You didn't have to save me, but you did and I will forever be grateful."

She places a hand over his and lets out a gasp, jerking her hand away when an electric shock goes through them. Her heart pounds in her chest, rubbing her head where she can still feel the tingling from the shock.

James has a puzzled expression, looking at his hand and her, "Sorry, um, must have been static from the blankets."

"Yeah, static…" she says unconvinced.

That was not your typical static shock.


	3. Note

This is either going to be discontinued or just go on a very long hiatus due to a lack of interests from readers. I haven't decided which I'm going to do yet. Just don't expect an update anytime soon.


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